Managing Voicemail Messages Based On Location of Caller&#39;s Wireless Communication Device

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a method, system and computer program product for processing voicemail messages to a user&#39;s wireless communication device based on a location of a caller&#39;s wireless communication device. Call answering protocols are assigned for implementation based on the location of the caller&#39;s wireless communication device at a time a call is received from the caller&#39;s device. Call answering protocol entries are received via a wireless communication device. When a call is received, a location of the caller&#39;s wireless communication device is detected. Location information regarding the caller&#39;s wireless communication device is received at a call switching component. The call is processed at the call switching component based on the call answering protocol for handling a caller&#39;s call received from the location of the caller&#39;s wireless communication device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a related application to Attorney Docket No.AUS920080054US1 (entitled “Managing Voicemail Greeting Based on Locationof Wireless Communication Device”), filed concurrently, herewith havingthe same assignee, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to telecommunications, andparticularly to managing voicemail messages based on location of thecaller's wireless communication device.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the rapid growth of wireless communication and the desire to stayconnected, a user can now be reached via his or her wirelesscommunication device at virtually any place and time and for virtuallyany reason.

A problem is manifested when the user may be giving a sales presentationto a client, only to be interrupted in the middle of his presentation bya family member who would like to inquire about plans for the weekend,or to be interrupted by a text message from a co-worker. While thefamily query may be legitimate and appropriate during a break in thepresentation, it certainly would not be appropriate in the middle of thebusiness presentation in many cultures. Therefore, in such a situation,the user will ignore the call or prevent audible reception of the callby turning the user's device off or operating the device in “Silent”mode so there is little or no sound when an incoming communicationoccurs. In similar fashion, while the co-worker's text message may beimportant in some other context, it certainly would not be appropriateif received during the business presentation. However, if the user wasnot in the middle of the presentation, but instead was working on adraft of the proposal, then the interruption may be appropriate and mayeven be welcomed.

Often, a user may be in a location where use of a wireless communicationdevice is not permitted, e.g., a library, aircraft, or the like. Theuser may be unable to respond to communications via the user's wirelesscommunication device because of etiquette concerns, such as while a useris at a social function, or because the user is otherwise occupiedtemporarily, i.e., in an exercise class, at the theater, or in ameeting. A caller has no information about the user's whereabouts and/orwhy the user is not answering the call. The caller may call back severaltimes, with no response.

SUMMARY OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed are a method, system and computer program product forprocessing voicemail messages to a user's wireless communication devicebased on a location of a caller's wireless communication device. Callanswering protocols are assigned for implementation based on thelocation of the caller's wireless communication device at a time a callis received from the caller's device. Call answering protocol entriesare received via a wireless communication device. When a call isreceived, a location of the caller's wireless communication device isdetected. Location information regarding the caller's wirelesscommunication device is received at a call switching component. The callis processed at the call switching component based on the call answeringprotocol for handling a caller's call received from the location of thecaller's wireless communication device.

The above as well as additional features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent in the following detailed writtendescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention itself will best be understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a service provider system configured withhardware and software components for implementing one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example database showing location informationassociated with prerecorded voicemail greetings and authorized callerlists, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a communication system in which a wirelesscommunication device manages voicemail greetings via a service providersystem, based on location of the wireless communication device accordingto one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the process of managing voicemail greetingsbased on location of a user's wireless communication device, accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example database showing callers' wirelesscommunication device locations associated with call answering protocols,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example database showing location information of auser's wireless communication device and callers' wireless communicationdevice, in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the process of managing voicemail greetingsbased on (a) location of a user's wireless communication device and (b)location of a caller's wireless communication device, according to oneembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

The illustrative embodiments provide a method, system and computerprogram product for processing voicemail messages to a user's wirelesscommunication device based on a location of a caller's wirelesscommunication device. Call answering protocols are assigned forimplementation based on the location of the caller's wirelesscommunication device at a time a call is received from the caller'sdevice. Call answering protocol entries are received via a wirelesscommunication device. When a call is received, a location of thecaller's wireless communication device is detected. Location informationregarding the caller's wireless communication device is received at acall switching component. The call is processed at the call switchingcomponent based on the call answering protocol for handling a caller'scall received from the location of the caller's wireless communicationdevice.

In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of theinvention, specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled inthe art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized and that logical, architectural,programmatic, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Thefollowing detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined onlyby the appended claims.

Within the descriptions of the figures, similar elements are providedsimilar names and reference numerals as those of the previous figure(s).Where a later figure utilizes the element in a different context or withdifferent functionality, the element is provided a different leadingnumeral representative of the figure number (e.g, 152 for FIG. 1 and 252for FIG. 2). The specific numerals assigned to the elements are providedsolely to aid in the description and not meant to imply any limitations(structural or functional) on the invention.

The features described herein provide a user of a wireless communicationdevice the ability to present a prerecorded location-specific greetingto an authorized caller, where the greeting is triggered based on thelocation information of the user's wireless communication device.

Presently, with wireless communication devices, users do not havelocation-specific voicemail. Thus, the user of the device is unable toeasily convey to callers additional location-specific details with theirvoicemail greeting. This is especially problematic with cellular phoneswhere a user may wish to give more accurate information in theirvoicemail greetings, such as to announce they are in a library and willnot be answering their cellular phone. It is currently not known toautomatically select voicemail greetings based on physical location ofthe wireless communication device.

It is understood that the use of specific component, device and/orparameter names are for example only and not meant to imply anylimitations on the invention. The invention may thus be implemented withdifferent nomenclature/terminology utilized to describe thecomponents/devices/parameters herein, without limitation. Each termutilized herein is to be given its broadest interpretation given thecontext in which that term is utilized. While the embodiment to besubsequently described relates to cellular telephones, the principles ofthe invention would be applicable to any wireless personalcommunications device that could be used to communicate in a cellulartelecommunications system. These would include the wide variety ofcurrently available communicating personal palm devices or PersonalDigital Assistants (PDAs), which include, for example, devices usingMicrosoft's WinCE, Palm, Inc's Palm OS, and ACCESS's Garnet OS, such asa PDA, cellular phone, laptop computer, or other such wirelesscommunication device.

With reference now to the figures, and in particular FIG. 1, whichdepicts a block diagram representation of a service provider system.Service provider system 102 comprises at least one processor 110connected to memory 115 via system bus 105. Memory 115 is defined as alowest level of volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limitedto, cache memory, registers, and buffers. Also connected to system bus105 is storage database 152, having stored therein one or more voicemailmailboxes 153 for a user's wireless communication device. It isunderstood that the system can support multiple user devices.

Service provider system 102 is also illustrated with a wirelesstransceiver 150 coupled to system bus 105. Wireless transceiver 150enables service provider system 102 to connect to and exchangecommunication with one or more wireless communication devices.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardwaredepicted in FIG. 1 is a basic illustration of a service provider system,and thus the hardware utilized in actual implementation may vary. Thus,the depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitationswith respect to the present invention. Also, components of the serviceprovider system 102 may be distributed components, not present in asingle device or single casing. Also, while the illustrative embodimentsare described from the perspective of functions occurring at the serviceprovider system 102, it is appreciated that various functions of thedescribed embodiments may also be performed by the wirelesscommunication device. This implementation is also covered by the scopeof the invention.

Notably, in addition to the above described hardware components ofservice provider system 102, various features of the invention arecompleted via software (or firmware) code or logic stored within memory115 or other storage (e.g., storage database 152) and executed byprocessor 110. In one embodiment, data/instructions/code from storagedatabase 152 populates the memory 115, which is also coupled to systembus 105. Thus, illustrated within memory 115 are a number ofsoftware/firmware components, including operating system (OS) 130, aLocation-Based Voicemail (LBV) utility 145, and a Location Caller Device(LCD) utility 147. The LBV utility 145 includes a time trackingcomponent 146 configured to calculate amount of time a device has beenat a specific location.

In actual implementation, LBV utility 145 may be a single applicationproviding the various functions of multiple individual softwarecomponents when the corresponding code is executed by the processor 110.For simplicity, LBV utility 145 is illustrated and described as a standalone or separate software/firmware component, which is stored in memory115 to provide/support the specific novel functions described herein.

Processor 110 executes LBV utility 145 as well as OS 130, which supportsthe user interface features of LBV utility 145. In the illustrativeembodiment, LBV utility 145 generates/provides several graphical userinterfaces (GUI) to enable user interaction with, or manipulation of,the functional features of the LBV utility (145). Among the softwarecode/instructions provided by LBV utility 145, and which enablesfeatures specific to the invention, are: (a) code for recordinglocation-specific voicemail greetings via a user's wirelesscommunication device; (b) code for associating location-specificvoicemail greetings with specific selected locations; (c) code forreceiving identifying information corresponding to at least oneauthorized caller authorized to receive the location-specific greeting;(d) code for detecting/receiving a location of the wirelesscommunication device when a call is received by the wirelesscommunication device; (e) code for determining whether the caller is anauthorized caller; (f) code for determining when the device is in apre-identified location; and (g) code for presenting thelocation-specific voicemail greeting associated with the location of thewireless communication device to the authorized caller. For simplicityof the description, the collective body of code that enables thesevarious features is referred to herein as LBV utility 145. According tothe illustrative embodiment, when processor 110 executes LBV utility145, service provider system 102 initiates a series of functionalprocesses that enable the above functional features as well asadditional features/functionality, which are described below within thedescription of FIGS. 2-7.

Processor 110 executes LCD utility 147 as well as OS 130, which supportsthe user interface features of LCD utility 147. In the illustrativeembodiment, LCD utility 147 generates/provides several graphical userinterfaces (GUI) to enable user interaction with, or manipulation of,the functional features of the LCD utility 147. Among the softwarecode/instructions provided by LCD utility 147, and which enablesfeatures specific to the invention, are: (a) code for assigning callanswering protocols for implementation based on a location of a caller'swireless communication device at a time a call is received from thecaller's device; (b) code for receiving an entry of one or more callanswering selection protocols via a wireless communication device; (c)code for detecting a location of the caller's wireless communicationdevice when a call is received; (d) code for receiving locationinformation regarding the caller's wireless communication device at acall switching component; and (e) code for processing the call at thecall switching component based on the call answering protocol forhandling a caller's call receiving from the location of the caller'swireless communication device. For simplicity of the description, thecollective body of code that enables these various features is referredto herein as LCD utility 147. According to the illustrative embodiment,when processor 110 executes LCD utility 147, service provider system 102initiates a series of functional processes that enable the abovefunctional features as well as additional features/functionality, whichare described below within the description of FIGS. 2-7.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware andbasic configuration depicted in FIG. 1 may vary. For example, otherdevices/components may be used in addition to or in place of thehardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to implyarchitectural limitations with respect to the present invention.

In one alternate implementation, the invention may be implemented at/onthe user device, eliminating the need for the service provider system102 to perform the steps related to location-based voicemail. With thisalternate implementation, the user's wireless communication devicerecords the location-specific voicemail greetings for the user'swireless communication device, associates the location-specificvoicemail greetings with specific locations, and receives identifyinginformation corresponding to at least one authorized caller to receivethe location-specific greeting. The user's wireless communication devicealso detects a current location of the wireless communication devicewhen a call is received by the wireless communication device, and inresponse to one of the current locations being one of the specificlocations, presents the location-specific voicemail greeting associatedwith the current location of the wireless communication device to theauthorized caller. In one embodiment, the user can update voicemailgreeting features online at a service provider website.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a database 252 is shown in whichlocation-specific voicemail greetings 207 entered by a user of awireless communication device are stored. The user recordslocation-specific voicemail greetings 207, e.g. message 1 218, message 2220, message 3 222, on the database 252 via the user's wirelesscommunication device. The user also enters specific locations 204, e.g.location X 206, location Y 212, location Z 214, and associates thelocation-specific voicemail greetings 218, 220, 222 with the locations206, 212, 214. The user can create an authorized caller list 208 foreach location 204 by entering and storing identifying information intothe user's wireless communication device. The identifying informationcorresponds to at least one authorized caller to receive thelocation-specific greetings.

It is understood that the user can create one authorized caller list tobe associated with all locations, or the user can create a separateauthorized caller list for each location. For example, a user may wantto include business associates in an authorized caller list that isassociated with various office or business locations, but exclude thesebusiness associates from authorized caller lists that are associatedwith personal locations, such as the gym or other personal recreationallocations. And the user may want to include family members on allauthorized caller lists. Further, the user can create an authorizedcaller list that includes all callers irrespective of caller identity.This list may be a default setting, absent user input/selection of aspecific list of authorized callers for a particular location.

During the location-based voicemail retrieval process, a determinationis made by the system regarding whether the caller is an authorizedcaller for the location 204 in which the user's wireless communicationdevice is located. The determination of a caller's identity for thepurpose of authorizing may be one or more of: a Caller ID match, voicepattern recognition, spoken password or passphrase analyzed through aspeech to text conversion, or a dialed code. In cases where theauthorized caller list includes all callers, no determination of acaller's identity need be performed.

A timestamp 210 can be created by the system and associated with thelocation 204 in which the user's wireless communication device islocated. A mechanism detects lack of movement of the user's wirelesscommunication device. The mechanism enables the location-specificvoicemail greeting 207 when the user's wireless communication device isstationary for a predefined period of time. The date and time the user'swireless communication device entered a specific location is detected,and the amount of time the user's wireless communication device has beenat the location 204 is calculated. The date and time information thedevice entered the location 204 and/or the calculated time the user'swireless communication device has been at the location 204 can beautomatically inserted into the header of the location-specificvoicemail greeting 207 and presented to the caller along with thelocation-specific voicemail greeting 207.

For example, in FIG. 2, if caller 1 calls the user's wirelesscommunication device while the user's wireless communication device isin location X 206, then the associated location-specific voicemailgreeting 1 218 will be presented to authorized caller 1 224. Thetimestamp 230 is also presented to the authorized caller 1 224, e.g.“user entered location X at 1:30 pm (EST)” and/or “user entered locationX 23 minutes ago.” It is understood that the announcement of time maysuppress the time zone if Caller ID suggests the caller is in the sametime zone. Similarly, that time may be converted to the time of thecaller based on the area code within the Caller ID compared against atable of area codes for time zone mapping. However, if caller 1 callsthe user while the user's wireless communication device is in location Z214, since caller 1 is not on the authorized caller list 228 forlocation Z 214, caller 1 will be presented with the user's generalvoicemail greeting and not the user's location-specific voicemailgreeting 222.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a communication system in which aservice provider system manages the voicemail mailbox of a user'swireless communication device. In FIG. 3, a caller uses the caller'swireless communications device 328 or landline caller 327, or othercalling device to call a user's wireless communication device 304. Alandline telephone 327 is connected to a Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN) 330, while a wireless communication device 328 isconnected via wireless communication device's antenna 311 to a cellulartower 338.

The user's wireless communication device 304 provides voicemail menuoptions and a mechanism for the user to scroll to a correct setting andassociate pre-recorded location-specific greetings with specificlocations. When the user connects to a voicemail center 320 via aservice provider system 302, a utility, i.e., LBV utility 145 (FIG. 1),allows the user to record location-specific voicemail greetings ormessages, set locations, and associate the locations with correspondingrecorded voicemail greetings.

It is understood that the user may interact with the utility via othermeans such as from a computer accessing a web application. A user candefine different locations, upload and store the different locations atthe voicemail center 320 and associate the locations with recordedvoicemail greetings. The locations can be stored on the user's wirelesscommunication device 304, or in an alternate embodiment, the user canstore the locations at a service provider via a call switchingcomponent. A user can manually use a menu option and mechanism on theuser's wireless communication device 304 to have a location-specificvoicemail greeting to be presented to callers.

In FIG. 3, when the user does not answer his device 304 or the device304 is in a “do not disturb” mode, the call switching component 312determines that the user's wireless communication device 304 is notanswering the call. Before being powered off or at some pre-set period,the device 304 detects the device's 304 current location based on aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) 308, wireless access point 310, orcellular tower 306, and the device 304 sends the location information tothe call switching component 312.

In the illustrative embodiment, the location 204 of the user's wirelesscommunication device is received by a call switching component. The callswitching component presents the location-specific voicemail greeting207 associated with the location 204 of the user's wirelesscommunication device to the authorized caller 208. The location 204 ofthe user's wireless communication device is determined when a call isreceived from a caller at the user's wireless communication device. Asillustrated by FIG. 3, detection of the location 204 of the user'swireless communication device can be based on GPS coordination 308, aknown location of a wireless access point detectable by the wirelesscommunication device, or by the device communicating with one or morecellular/signal towers. With the latter detection method, the location204 of the wireless communication device is determined by the closesttower, or by triangulation of signal strength to two or more towers. Thecall switching component 312 presents to an authorized caller thelocation-specific voicemail greeting recorded in the user's voicemailmailbox 314 located at voicemail center 320 of service provider system302.

Location-specific voicemail greetings may provide more information, suchas time of the user's return to a location, to an authorized callerreceiving the location-specific voicemail greeting. When the usercreates the location-specific voicemail greetings, the user provides thelocation name to the system, records the voicemail greeting, identifiesthe location with such identifiers as postal code, GPS coordination 308,wireless access point 310, closest cellular tower 306, triangulation, orthe like. The user selects a set of people that are deemed as authorizedcallers who may hear the location-based voicemail greeting. The user canset an automatic insertion of a timestamp into the voicemail greeting,giving the time that the user's wireless communication device 304entered the location. In an alternate embodiment, the location of auser's wireless communication device 304 is determined by the callswitching component 312 based on a cellular tower 306 that is currentlycommunicating with the user's wireless communication device 304.

In the described embodiments, a determination is made regarding whethera caller is authorized to receive the user's location-specific voicemailgreeting. Location-specific voicemail greeting authorization isperformed to verify the caller is permitted to hear a location-specificvoicemail greeting. If a caller is not authorized to receive alocation-specific voicemail greeting, voicemail center 320 will play thestandard voicemail greeting. Often, a user's recorded location-specificvoicemail greeting may state that the user will be at the location for aspecified period of time, e.g. one hour. An authorized caller will bebetter informed regarding the user's availability to communicate if thecaller is informed about the time the user's wireless communicationdevice entered the location. For example, if the user entered thelocation at 1:30 pm (EST), and the user's location-specific voicemailgreeting states the user will be at the location for one hour, then thecaller can deduce that the user will be leaving the location at 2:30 pm(EST). The user could also set the timestamp feature to include thelocation with the timestamp. For example, voicemail center 320 maypresent a greeting stating “I am at the gym right now, and will beavailable after my one hour workout”. The voicemail center 320 may alsoappend “arrived at location ‘gym’ 23 minutes ago.” If a caller isauthorized for receiving the location-specific voicemail greeting,voicemail center 320 will play the location-specific and timestampgreeting.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method by which the aboveprocesses of the illustrative embodiments are completed. Although themethod illustrated in FIG. 4 may be described with reference tocomponents shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, it should be understood that thisis merely for convenience and alternative components and/orconfigurations thereof can be employed when implementing the variousmethods. Key portions of the method may be completed by LBV utility 145executing within service provider system 102 (FIG. 1) and controllingspecific operations of/on service provider system 102, and the method isthus described from the perspective of either/both LBV utility 145 andservice provider system 102. Alternatively, specific functions may beprovided by a similar utility executing within a wireless communicationdevice.

FIG. 4 begins at initiator block 402 and proceeds to block 404, whereina user records location-specific voicemail greetings, block 404. Theuser associates the location-specific greetings to correspond withspecific locations, block 406. When a call is received from a caller whois calling the user, block 408, a determination is made regardingwhether the user is unavailable to answer the caller's call, block 410.If the user is available to answer the caller's call and the useranswers the call, block 412, the process ends, block 424. If the user isunavailable to answer the caller's call, i.e., the caller's call isunanswered, or the user's wireless communication device is turned off,triggering an automatic forward of the incoming call to voicemail, theuser's wireless communication device's location is retrieved by a callswitching component, block 414.

A determination is made regarding whether the caller is authorized forreceipt of a location-specific voicemail greeting, block 416. The usermay authorize specific individuals or groups to receivelocation-specific voicemail greetings. Location-specific voicemailgreetings may reduce user privacy, and therefore, the user may wish toonly enable these greetings for friends, family, and other knowncontacts. Such a system may be enabled on the user's device by: (a)selecting specific incoming phone numbers that may hearlocation-specific voicemail greetings; (b) a binary switch enabling allincoming numbers with corresponding phonebook entries to receive theparticular location-specific voicemail greetings; or (c) other knownmethods of selecting a subset of items from a larger list. In alternateembodiments, the user may authorize phone numbers through interactionwith the user's voicemail system, a website maintained by the serviceprovider, or through interaction with a support representative of theservice provider.

If a caller is not authorized to receive the location-specific voicemailgreeting, the user's general voicemail greeting is played for theunauthorized caller, block 418, and the process ends, block 424. Thefeatures described herein may be implemented as a service provided by amobile service provider, charged based on subscription and volume rate,as an extension of a voicemail system, or via any similar fashion.

In some embodiments, location-specific voicemail greetings may only beenabled if the device is stationary for a predefined period of time.Wireless communication devices that are capable of detecting theirlocation via GPS subsystems or cellular tower triangulation/strengthdetection may employ the same technology to detect lack of movement ofthe device. Embodiments that employ the stationary timer may prevent theplayback of location-specific voicemail greetings when the user's deviceis only traveling through a region, so as to avoid confusion to thecaller. For example, if the user has a location-specific voicemailgreeting for the gym and is driving by the gym while a caller istransferred to voicemail, it would be incorrect to play the gym locationgreeting to the caller, as the user is not actually at the gym. Inembodiments that contain this feature, the user may also be able tospecify (a) which locations require movement detection to be enabled,and (b) a predetermined amount of time required per location fordetection of the device being stationary.

FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention. According to thisalternate embodiment, the location of the caller may modify thetreatment of the voicemail processing by voicemail system of the user'swireless communication device. In FIG. 5, a database 552 is shown withcaller locations 554 associated with call answering protocols 557. Forexample, caller location A 556 is an airport. The user is expecting avisitor to arrive at the airport within the next hour, but the user mustattend an important business meeting. The user can associate a callanswering protocol, i.e. protocol 1 558, with caller location A 556,that directs the caller's call from the airport to be converted to text,with the text being emailed to one or more parties, such as the user, orthe user's secretary or spouse, to enable others to know of the visitorsarrival without delay. Caller location B 552 could be set as the localhospital where the user's love one is being treated. The user may wantto associate location B 552 with call answering protocol 2 560 thattransfers the caller's voicemail message to one or more phone systems,such as the user's private office line and home telephone. Location C554 can be the user's business. The user may want to associate locationC 554 with call answering protocol 3 562 that changes the priority ofvoicemail messages in the user's voicemail mailbox so that all voicemailmessages from callers at the user's business are played to the userbefore any other voicemail messages in the user's voicemail mailbox. Theuser could also set call answering protocols to record voicemailmessages received from calls originating from the user's business in adifferent voicemail mailbox, such as the user's secretary's voicemailmailbox, or the like.

FIG. 6 shows a more detailed example of a database 652 incorporatingboth the management of location-specific voicemail greetings based on auser's wireless communication device location and the processing ofcalls to the user based on a location of a caller's wirelesscommunication device. With reference now to FIG. 6, a database 652 isshown in which location-specific voicemail greetings 607 entered by auser of a wireless communication device are stored. The user recordslocation-specific voicemail greetings 607, e.g. message 1 618, message 2620, message 3 622, on the database 652 via the user's wirelesscommunication device. The user also enters specific locations 604, e.g.location X 606, location Y 612, location Z 614, and associates thelocation-specific voicemail greetings 618, 620, 622 with the locations606, 612, 614. The user can create an authorized caller list 608 foreach location 604 by entering and storing identifying information intothe user's wireless communication device corresponding to at least oneauthorized caller.

A timestamp 610 can be associated with the location 604 in which theuser's wireless communication device is located. A mechanism detectslack of movement of the user's wireless communication device and can beset to enable the location-specific voicemail greeting 607 when theuser's wireless communication device is stationary for a predefinedperiod of time to avoid confusion when a user is mobile. The date andtime the user's wireless communication device entered a specificlocation is detected, and the amount of time the user's wirelesscommunication device has been at the location 604 is calculated. Thedate and time information the device entered the location 604 and/or thecalculated time the user's wireless communication device has been at thelocation 604 can be automatically inserted into the header of thelocation-specific voicemail greeting 607 and presented to the calleralong with the location-specific voicemail greeting 607.

The user assigns call answering protocols 657 for an authorized callerbased on a location 654 of a caller's wireless communication device atthe time a call is initiated by the caller. The call answering protocols657 are entered into the user's wireless communication device. Duringreceipt of a call, the location 654 of the caller's wirelesscommunication device is detected. The information about the location 654of the caller's wireless communication device is sent to the user'swireless communication device, or the call switching component. The callis processed by the call switching component based on the user'spredetermined call answering protocol 657 for handling the caller's callbased on and considering the location 654 of the caller's wirelesscommunication device.

For example, in FIG. 6, if caller 1 624 calls the user's wirelesscommunication device while the user's wireless communication device isin location X 606, then the associated location-specific voicemailgreeting 1 618 will be presented to authorized caller 1 624. Thetimestamp 630 is also presented to the authorized caller 1 624. If thecall from the wireless communication device of caller 1 624 is detectedas calling from location A 656, i.e. the airport, the call switchingcomponent will process the caller's call. In FIG. 6, the focus is on thelocation of the caller's wireless communication device, and not theuser's wireless communication device. However, the user's devicelocation is used for presenting the location-specific voicemail greetingto the authorized caller. As described above, the call answeringprotocols 657 for an authorized caller based on a location 654 are of acaller's wireless communication device at the time a call is initiatedby the caller. For example, in FIG. 6, call answering protocol 1 658 isassociated with the location of the caller's wireless communicationdevice (Location A 656). Call answering protocol 1 658 will direct thecaller's call to be converted to text, with the text being emailed toone or more parties, such as the user, or the user's secretary orspouse, to enable others to know of the visitors arrival without delay.

It is understood that if any of the rules described in FIG. 6 conflictin a given scenario (i.e., the caller or user combination result in morethan one voicemail greeting or more than one protocol, or the voicemailgreeting and protocol are contradictory), there is conflict resolution,such as establishing priority of the rules, randomly selecting,preventing such rules from being added to the database, or prompting theuser or caller.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method by which the aboveprocesses of the illustrative embodiments are completed. Although themethod illustrated in FIG. 7 may be described with reference tocomponents shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, it should be understoodthat this is merely for convenience and alternative components and/orconfigurations thereof can be employed when implementing the variousmethods. Key portions of the method may be completed by LBV utility 145executing within service provider system 102 (FIG. 1) and controllingspecific operations of/on service provider system 102, and the method isthus described from the perspective of either/both LBV utility 145 andservice provider system 102. Alternatively, specific functions may beprovided by a similar utility executing within a wireless communicationdevice.

FIG. 7 begins at initiator block 702, and proceeds to block 704, whereina user records location-specific voicemail greetings, block 704. Theuser associates the location-specific greetings to correspond withspecific locations, block 705. Call answering protocols based on acaller's device location are assigned, block 706. The call answeringprotocols are entered into a user's wireless communication device, block707. When a call is received from a caller who is calling the user,block 708, a determination is made regarding whether the treatment ofvoicemail processing is to be modified based on a location of a caller'swireless communication device, block 709. For example, the user maydefine that voicemails left from callers when the caller's communicationdevice is at specific regions, e.g., the office, the airport, or thelike, may be processed differently by the system.

If, in response to the determination at block 709, the voicemailprocessing is not to be modified by the location of the caller'scommunication device, the process continues to block 710. Adetermination is made regarding whether the user is unavailable toanswer the caller's call, block 710. If the user is available to answerthe caller's call, the user answers the call, block 712, and the processends, block 738. If the user is unavailable to answer the caller's call,the location of the user's wireless communication device is determinedby a call switching component, block 714.

In FIG. 7, a determination is made regarding whether the caller isauthorized for receipt of a location-specific voicemail greeting, block716. The user may authorize specific individuals or groups to receivelocation-specific voicemail greetings. If a caller is not authorized toreceive the location-specific voicemail greeting, the user's generalvoicemail greeting is played for the unauthorized caller, block 718, andthe process ends, block 738. In some embodiments, after a caller isdetermined to not be eligible for a user location-specific greeting, adetermination about whether any caller location-specific protocols existcan be made. If a caller is authorized to receive the location-specificvoicemail greeting, the location-specific voicemail greeting associatedwith the location of the user's wireless communication device isretrieved and presented to the authorized caller, block 720, and theprocess ends, block 738.

If the treatment of voicemail processing is to be modified based on thelocation of the caller's communication device, the location of thecaller's wireless communication device is detected, block 732. Locationinformation of the caller's wireless communication device is sent to acall switching component, block 734.

A determination is made regarding whether the location of the caller'swireless communication device requires the call to be processeddifferently from traditional processing methods, block 736, based on thecall answering protocols pre-set by the user. If the caller's call doesnot require a modification in treatment of voicemail processing, theprocess goes to the determination step at block 710 regarding whetherthe user is unavailable to answer a call. If the location of thecaller's wireless communication device is a location that requires thecaller's call to be treated differently, the caller's call is processedby call switching component, block 737. The caller's call will beprocessed based upon the assigned call answering protocols for thecaller's location. Different processes may be provided for determiningvoicemail based on the caller's location. The processes include, but arenot limited to (a) recording voicemail in a different voicemail mailbox;(b) converting the caller's voicemail message to text and emailing thetext to one or more parties; (c) changing priority of voicemail messagein the user's voicemail mailbox; and (d) transferring call to one ormore phone systems, and enabling actions on all voicemail messagesassociated with a location, such as to delete all, mark all as heard.Once the call switching component processes the caller's call, theprocess ends, block 738.

The features described herein may be implemented as a service providedby a mobile provider, charged based on subscription and volume rate, asan extension of a voicemail system, or any similar fashion. In analternate embodiment, the features are implemented on the user'swireless communication device, rather than a separate call switchingcomponent.

In the flow charts above, the methods may be embodied in a computerreadable medium containing computer readable code such that a series ofsteps are performed when the computer readable code is executed on acomputing device. In some implementations, certain steps of the methodsare combined, performed simultaneously or in a different order, orperhaps omitted, without deviating from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Thus, while the method steps are described and illustrated ina particular sequence, use of a specific sequence of steps is not meantto imply any limitations on the invention. Changes may be made withregards to the sequence of steps without departing from the spirit orscope of the present invention. Use of a particular sequence istherefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thepresent invention is defined only by the appended claims.

As will be further appreciated, the processes in embodiments of thepresent invention may be implemented using any combination of software,firmware or hardware. As a preparatory step to practicing the inventionin software, the programming code (whether software or firmware) willtypically be stored in one or more machine readable storage mediums suchas fixed (hard) drives, diskettes, optical disks, magnetic tape,semiconductor memories such as ROMs, PROMs, etc., thereby making anarticle of manufacture in accordance with the invention. The article ofmanufacture containing the programming code is used by either executingthe code directly from the storage device, by copying the code from thestorage device into another storage device such as a hard disk, RAM,etc., or by transmitting the code for remote execution usingtransmission type media such as digital and analog communication links.The methods of the invention may be practiced by combining one or moremachine-readable storage devices containing the code according to thepresent invention with appropriate processing hardware to execute thecode contained therein. An apparatus for practicing the invention couldbe one or more processing devices and storage systems containing orhaving network access to program(s) coded in accordance with theinvention.

Thus, it is important that while an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention is described in the context of a fully functionalcomputer (server) system with installed (or executed) software, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the software aspects of anillustrative embodiment of the present invention are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that anillustrative embodiment of the present invention applies equallyregardless of the particular type of media used to actually carry outthe distribution. By way of example, a non exclusive list of types ofmedia includes recordable type (tangible) media such as floppy disks,thumb drives, hard disk drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, and transmission typemedia such as digital and analogue communication links.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplaryembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular system,device or component thereof to the teachings of the invention withoutdeparting from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intendedthat the invention not be limited to the particular embodimentsdisclosed for carrying out this invention, but that the invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote anyorder or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are usedto distinguish one element from another.

1. A system for managing voicemail greetings of a wireless communication device based on a location of the device, said system comprising: a processor; a voicemail storage facility that stores voicemail greetings for the wireless communication device; a memory having stored thereon a utility which executes on the processor to provide the functions of: assigning call answering protocols for implementation based on a location of a caller's wireless communication device at a time a call is received from the caller's device; receiving an entry of one or more call answering selection protocols via a wireless communication device; detecting a location of the caller's wireless communication device when a call is received; receiving location information regarding the caller's wireless communication device at a call switching component; and processing the call at the call switching component based on the call answering protocol for handling a caller's call received from the location of the caller's wireless communication device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said utility further comprises executable code for: recording location-specific voicemail greetings for the wireless communication device; associating the location-specific voicemail greetings with specific locations; and determining a current location of the wireless communication device when a call is received by the wireless communication device from a caller device; in response to the current location being one of the specific locations, presenting the location-specific voicemail greeting associated with the current location of the wireless communication device to the caller device; and determining whether the caller is an authorized caller to receive the location-specific voicemail greeting by comparing the identifier (ID) of the caller device with a list of authorized caller IDs of authorized callers corresponding to the current location; wherein determining in relation to the wireless communication device the current location of the wireless communication device is based on detecting one or more of GPS location, closest tower location, signal triangulation, and known location of a wireless access point detectable by the wireless communication device; wherein the function of determining whether the caller is an authorized caller is based on detection of the caller's identity through at least one of: Caller ID, voice pattern recognition, spoken password or passphrase converted via a speech-to-text module, a dialed code, and interacting with a service provider.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein said utility further comprises executable code for: receiving periodic location information utilized to indicate when the wireless communication device is stationary; enabling location-specific voicemail greeting when the wireless communication device is stationary for a predefined period of time; detecting the date and time the wireless communication device entered a location; calculating an amount of time the wireless communication device has been at the location; automatically inserting the date and time information into the location-specific voicemail greeting; and presenting the date and time information with the location-specific voicemail greeting.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein said utility further comprises executable code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be re-routed to a second voicemail mailbox other than the user's wireless communication device voicemail mailbox.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein said utility further comprises executable code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be converted to text and the voicemail message presented in text form to one or more parties.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein said utility further comprises executable code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be transferred to more than one phone system.
 7. The system of claim 3, wherein said utility further comprises executable code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the priority of voicemail messages should be changed to a higher priority than existing voicemail messages in the user's wireless communication device voicemail mailbox.
 8. A wireless communication device comprising: a processor; a storage component; a voicemail system for managing voicemail greetings of the wireless communication device based on a location of the device, the voicemail system configured with logic that executes on the processor to provide the functions of: storing location-specific voicemail locally; detecting receipt of a call; when the received call is not answered within a pre-specified time period: automatically detecting a current location of the wireless communication device; determining whether the wireless communication device has been stationary for a predefined period of time; playing a location-specific voicemail greeting for the second device; assigning call answering protocols for implementation based on a location of a caller's wireless communication device at a time a call is received from the caller's device; receiving an entry of one or more call answering selection protocols via a wireless communication device; detecting a location of the caller's wireless communication device when a call is received; receiving location information regarding the caller's wireless communication device at a call switching component; and processing the call at the call switching component based on the call answering protocol for handling a caller's call received from the location of the caller's wireless communication device.
 9. A method for processing voicemail messages to a wireless communication device based on a location of a caller's wireless communication device, said method comprising: assigning call answering protocols for implementation based on a location of a caller's wireless communication device at a time a call is received from the caller's device; receiving an entry of one or more call answering selection protocols via a wireless communication device; detecting a location of the caller's wireless communication device when a call is received; receiving location information regarding the caller's wireless communication device at a call switching component; and processing the call at the call switching component based on the call answering protocol for handling a caller's call received from the location of the caller's wireless communication device.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining whether the caller is an authorized caller to receive the location-specific voicemail greeting by comparing the identifier (ID) of the caller device with a list of authorized caller IDs of authorized callers corresponding to the current location; wherein detection of the location of the caller's wireless communication device is determined based on one or more of GPS location, closest tower location, signal triangulation, and known location of a wireless access point detectable by the wireless communication device; wherein the function of determining whether the caller is an authorized caller is based on detection of the caller's identity through at least one of: Caller ID, voice pattern recognition, spoken password or passphrase converted via a speech-to-text module, a dialed code, and interacting with a service provider.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be re-routed to a second voicemail mailbox other than the user's wireless communication device voicemail mailbox.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be converted to text and the voicemail message presented in text form to one or more parties.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be transferred to more than one phone system.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the priority of voicemail messages should be changed to a higher priority than existing voicemail messages in the user's wireless communication device voicemail mailbox.
 15. A computer program product having code recorded on a computer readable medium for processing voicemail messages to a wireless communication device based on a location of a caller's wireless communication device, said program product comprising code for: assigning call answering protocols for implementation based on a location of a caller's wireless communication device at a time a call is received from the caller's device; receiving an entry of one or more call answering selection protocols via a wireless communication device; detecting a location of the caller's wireless communication device when a call is received; receiving location information regarding the caller's wireless communication device at a call switching component; and processing the call at the call switching component based on the call answering protocol for handling a caller's call received from the location of the caller's wireless communication device.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising code for: determining whether the caller is an authorized caller to receive the location-specific voicemail greeting by comparing the identifier (ID) of the caller device with a list of authorized caller IDs of authorized callers corresponding to the current location; wherein detection of the location of the caller's wireless communication device is determined based on one or more of GPS location, closest tower location, signal triangulation, and known location of a wireless access point detectable by the wireless communication device; wherein the function of determining whether the caller is an authorized caller is based on detection of the caller's identity through at least one of: Caller ID, voice pattern recognition, spoken password or passphrase converted via a speech-to-text module, a dialed code, and interacting with a service provider.
 17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be re-routed to a second voicemail mailbox other than the user's wireless communication device voicemail mailbox.
 18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be converted to text and the voicemail message presented in text form to one or more parties.
 19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the caller's voicemail message should be transferred to more than one phone system.
 20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising code for assigning a call answering protocol associated with a location when the location is a first location at which the priority of voicemail messages should be changed to a higher priority than existing voicemail messages in the user's wireless communication device voicemail mailbox. 